Columns&Games

Dear Annie: I find it incredible that so many people want to push their views on children who do not belong to their family and then pass judgment on their parents. There have been numerous scientific studies proving that children become smarter and more confident when they play by themselves or with other children without adults’ helicoptering interference. Adults do not exist to be toys or full-time entertainers for our children. We raise them, feed them, clothe them and nurse them through medical illness, which are all things that require a large amount of attention and love.

No one has any idea what a person does on their cellphone. They could be arranging much needed medical care, working to pay the bills, communicating with school, or simply reading the news or an ebook. When I was a child, my nose was stuck in a book 75% of my free time. The rest of my time was spent jumping rope, playing marbles and getting into antics with the neighborhood kids. My mother drew during most of her free time and read the rest of the time.

There was never an expectation for her to give me her undivided attention. She was an adult, with adult concerns,

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Life will be like a swing today with momentum that takes you back and forth, but only within a limited range of motion. And though you move forward only to be brought back to where you started, at least you get the rush of experiencing your own vigor.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

You’re not afraid to take action, but you’re mindful of the other players. You’ll follow protocol to be sure you don’t disrespect anyone. The task is not worth doing if it hurts feelings along the way. You make a point to lift others.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

Are there winners and losers?

Maybe. Or maybe it’s all how you frame it. These games will rely entirely on perspective. You’ll feel at liberty to look at things in a number of ways and find the perspective that most empowers you.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

The more you value yourself, the more others will value you. You’ll spend money on making yourself feel better. Investing in yourself will be a way of paying respect and showing gratitude for the physical vehicle of your body and mind.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

You have been blocking a chaotic element out of your life. Through the years, you learned

Daily Cryptoquotes

that included taking care of me in ways that were far more important than entertaining me. I hope you can gently remind the next person who complains about parents on smartphones of this.

I would be happy to forward published academic medical articles upon request. Thank you. —

Doctor Who Knows

Dear Doctor: Thank you for your letter. You are correct that criticism of other people’s parenting is widespread and unfortunate. Helicopter parenting is a big problem as well, and kids do best when given appropriate age independence.

Seeing a parent on a smartphone while ignoring their children is easy to complain about, but, as you say, what if they are on the phone to pay bills or make a doctor’s appointment for the child? On the other hand, scrolling down social media posts endlessly while ignoring one’s child is never good. Perhaps a balance is what is called for.

Dear Annie: To the woman who wrote to you about the heartache of Valentine’s Day each year, as the day she lost her precious baby, I am so sorry for their loss. A similar thing happened to me with my last baby. A relative who meant well asked me soon after he passed if she could

Today’s birthday

In even the busiest and most fulfilled life, there is a constant craving. It will give you high energy and drive you forward to new adventures. You’ll earn your way into being in position of options, which you will narrow down quickly by sticking to your values and standards.

to do this so automatically you no longer realize it’s a choice, but something will happen today to help you appreciate how you’ve learned to manage life’s realities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

The stressors in your life will come to bear on your ability to resist temptation. The best way to stick to your plans for yourself is to reduce your stress through exercise or meditation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

Replenish your energy with time in the sun. Fresh air and the warm light on your skin will be crucial to your well-being. Tonight, you’ll be as effective as you are organized.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You look forward to spending time with a certain someone. These small interactions are put my son’s “birthday” on the family calendar. I said no, because that’s also his death day, and we didn’t want it to be a sad reminder each year and become a hard day for us. It could have been very difficult for us to move forward. But we choose to celebrate that day each year instead as his “Angel Day.” He was the youngest of six children, who didn’t understand why their baby brother didn’t come home with Mommy from the hospital. We chose to tell our children that he was so perfect that he was called back to heaven to be an angel. They never were sad or questioned this answer but accepted that he was needed as an angel. Almost two decades later, they never have forgotten this special date. Each year on that day, we celebrate his life by eating angel food cake for dessert and having happy thoughts of our little angel! I recommend this to anyone dealing with this same grief. I hope this helps Valentine’s parents. It helped my whole family! — Valentine Baby part of an important pattern. You sense correctly that there’s a mutual value gleaned in the exchange.

Dear Valentine Baby: What a beautiful tradition to honor your baby. Thank you so much for sharing and helping others who might be in similar situations.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). Things cannot improve while staying the same. The status quo will be disrupted, and this is part of the process. You will drop your resistance to life’s flow. You’ll move fluidly, adjusting to new people and environments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You can still accomplish your most serious work while in a playful state. You’ll be around people who bring out a fun side of you and make you feel sharper and more alive.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). Your feelings are valid. Maybe you are not having the emotion you would prefer, but it’s not like you get to choose. The feelings come up and then they dissipate. Good or bad, they are fleeting. There is nothing to be afraid of.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There is too much to know in this world for one person to have it all figured out. You’re eager to learn and up for challenge. The old saying applies: “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.”

In bridge, we must be careful to retain our potent cards until the most efficacious moment to extract the maximum benefit from them – as in today’s deal. How should South plan the play in six spades against a diamond lead?

The original declarer tried dummy’s queen at trick one, but East won with the king and returned the diamond 10. Now declarer couldn’t make his slam whether he tried the heart finesse or attempted to set up a long heart for a discard.

Treat Thy Key Cards Carefully Indeed

What do you do with a book when you have finished reading it? Do you lend it to a friend? Do you put it out for recycling? Or do you slot it alphabetically into your bookshelf? John Milton had a great respect for them: “Books are not absolutely dead things, but do

Note the difference if declarer plays dummy’s diamond deuce at trick one. A nervous East might win with the king, making declarer’s life easy. However, let’s suppose he wins with the eight. Unable to return a diamond, East switches to a club, which South takes with his ace. Declarer cashes the spade ace and heart king, plays a heart to dummy’s ace and ruffs a heart high in hand. A spade to dummy’s king permits another high heart ruff. Declarer draws West’s last trump, plays a diamond to dummy’s ace and discards his club loser on the established heart jack.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

3/6/23

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Solution to 3/4/23:

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Trixie Mattel, Nelly and Diplo to host Stagecoach Late Night in Palomino

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ANAHEIM — Stagecoach County Music Festival fans will be able to keep the party going once the headliners Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton finish riling up the crowd on the Mane Stage at the 15th annual concert event happening April 28-30 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Festival producers have announced the lineup for Late Night in Palomino shows happening after-hours on the Palomino Stage. Drag queen, pop star and TV personality Trixie Mattel, who also happens to own the pink paradise Trixie Motel just a few miles from the festival grounds, will lead the festivities on Friday night.

Rapper Nelly, who crossed over into the country genre by collaborating with acts such as Tim McGraw, Kane Brown and Florida Georgia Line, is taking over on Saturday. DJ Diplo, the first artist to perform the after-hours event back in 2019, will officially close out Stagecoach 2023 with his set on Sunday evening.

Joining Bryan on Friday will be Jon Pardi, Riley Green, ZZ Top, Elle King, Breland, Melissa Etheridge and more.